One of the major messaging platforms is reportedly planning to extend end-to-end encryption to cloud backups, according to recent reports. This would mean that even in the event of a data leak on the provider's side, the content would remain unreadable to third parties. Privacy advocates welcome the move, but some remain skeptical, citing concerns about losing access to backups if encryption keys are forgotten. How do you view this development—an opportunity for greater privacy or a new risk?
Is end-to-end encryption coming to backups soon?
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Imagine this being similar to **Proton Mail** with their end-to-end encryption for backups—just in a messenger. Proton Mail has been encrypting emails and stored data for years in a way that even their own servers can't decrypt the contents. The user manages the key themselves, which gives control but also responsibility. This exact balance between privacy and key management would apply to the solution you're describing.
However, there's still a risk: What happens if the user loses their key? With Proton Mail, the solution is a **password-based backup** secured via a recovery phrase—similar to Bitcoin wallets. Alternatively, a **multi-signature system** (multiple keys on different devices) could help secure access. So the question isn't really *whether* the encryption is technically possible, but how it can be implemented in a user-friendly and secure way.